“This isn’t tech for tech’s sake. It’s tech that listens and learns, walking alongside Indigenous knowledge to care for Country.” – Rae Johnston
On Wiradjuri country in Orange last week, the Circular Futures Forum became a space where deep cultural wisdom and cutting-edge technology were shown not as opposing forces, but as partners in shaping a more resilient future.
Two First Nations voices stood out: Tommy Hicks, Head of Culture and Community at Indigenous Energy Australia, who urged honesty and humanity in engagement; and Rae Johnston, award-winning STEM journalist and Wiradjuri woman, who illustrated how artificial intelligence, drones and satellites are amplifying Indigenous knowledge systems. Both left the room with a sense that real change is possible when respect leads the way.
“Leave the corporate language over there”
Hicks didn’t sugar-coat the realities of community consultation. Speaking from years of experience in regional engagement, he painted a picture of what happens when conversations with Traditional Owners are treated as transactional.
“We’re told all the time – leave the corporate language over there. Just come and speak as I’m up here doing,” he said of his frank, honest and open style. “Understanding lived experience is something I don’t think we’re doing very well at the moment.”
He shared stories gathered in community: a woman by the Dubbo river, fearful that young people might never know the river’s former health; a candid response to a consultation exercise – “a bottle of water would be nice, to be honest.” For Hicks, these were not anecdotes but evidence of how easily policies can drift away from people’s everyday needs.
True engagement, he argued, is not a compliance box to tick but a relationship built over time. It means showing up at community events, being willing to pause a project timeline, even accepting that sometimes a consultation might look more like a conversation under a tree than a meeting in a boardroom.
“What matters isn’t the bridge itself,” Hicks said, using a metaphor for the engagement process. “It’s what’s able to flow across the bridge, into communities. If the bridge isn’t built, how can things flow?”
Tommy Hicks, Head of Culture & Community @ Indigenous Energy Australia, urged honesty and humanity in engagement at the Circular Future Forum in Orange, Central West NSW.
AI, drones and First Nations’ knowledge
Where Hicks focused on process, Johnston offered a glimpse into what respectful partnerships can deliver. She described Indigenous knowledge as a “living, interconnected system” of land, waters, plants, animals, stories and law – and showed how technology can strengthen rather than replace that system.
One standout example came from northern Australia, where AI models now integrate Indigenous seasonal calendars with satellite data to forecast solar energy production. Indigenous calendars, which recognise six, eight or more distinct seasons tied to ecological cues, provide a richer dataset than the four-season model taught in schools. When paired with Bureau of Meteorology records and solar output data, the result is a 15 per cent improvement in prediction accuracy and a 26 per cent reduction in forecast errors – figures Johnston stressed are life-changing in remote communities where blackouts can mean going without food.
Elsewhere, Johnston highlighted how Yolŋu rangers in Arnhem Land are using drones and satellite imagery to identify and intercept drifting “ghost nets” – discarded fishing nets devastating marine life. Technology maps their movements, while cultural knowledge directs the search. The nets themselves are then repurposed into woven artworks, transforming pollution into cultural and economic opportunity.
Her third example turned to Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), where rangers combine cultural burning with satellite fire detection, drones and GIS mapping. These tools don’t replace knowledge passed down through generations; they amplify it, allowing rangers to adapt more quickly to climate change while protecting sacred sites.
Wiradjuri woman and STEM journalist Rae Johnston explains the Indigneous Doughnut at the Circular Future Forum in Orange, Central West NSW.
The Indigenous Doughnut framework
Threaded through Johnston’s talk was the Indigenous Doughnut framework – a model inspired by “doughnut economics” but rooted in Country. It articulates what Indigenous peoples have always known: that caring for land and waters is about reciprocity, stewardship and regeneration.
“What I love,” Johnston told the audience, “is seeing how this philosophy is being lived out in community-led projects. It’s not just about stopping harm, it’s about regenerating, reimagining, reclaiming – using every tool available, whether that’s drones, weaving, or knowledge itself.”
Hope grounded in respect
Taken together, Hicks and Johnston’s contributions offered both a challenge and a promise. Hicks reminded participants that trust is earned through presence, patience and delivery – not through “perfect processes” or glossy strategies. Johnston showed that when trust exists, innovation can walk alongside tradition to create solutions that serve both people and planet.
Both insisted that the future depends on rejecting paternalism and recognising First Nations leadership not as an optional add-on, but as central to caring for Country.
“When we care for Country properly, the whole planet benefits,” Johnston concluded. “Healthy land and waters mean cleaner air, biodiversity, resilience to climate change. Technology works best when it listens, learns and walks with Indigenous knowledge.”
At the Circular Futures Forum, it was clear that hope lies not in choosing between the ancient and the modern, but in weaving them together.
Article: Liz Ginis, Communications & Marketing Manager, RDA Sydney
Images: Kirsten Cunningham, Kirsten Cunningham Photography
